


Classified

by Miss_Mil



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode: s01e01 Children of the Gods (1), Episode: s01e04 Emancipation, Episode: s01e06 The First Commandment, F/M, Gen, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-21 14:47:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9553343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Mil/pseuds/Miss_Mil
Summary: It's 1997. She’s a Captain. He’s a married Colonel.They cross a line they shouldn’t.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I have toyed with the idea of posting this for a long time. I wanted to explore a universe where Jack and Sara stayed married after the death of Charlie, and this little story came to mind. A substantial re-write of season 1 in which Sam and Jack delve into they grey areas we all avoid. 
> 
> If extra-marital affairs are not your thing, then I'd stay away from this one.

It was a standard day. Sara O’Neill stood barefoot in their drafty and bare laundry. It was a housewife’s duty to do her husband’s laundry, she thought ironically. 

Jack’s clothes were piled high, the standard greens adding the only splash of colour to their otherwise clinical laundry. His shirts were all the same, blank black Velcro patches on the sleeves where she was sure that the emblem for his team would sit. 

The emblem she wasn’t allowed to see. 

Classified. God, how she hated that word. 

She regularly did his laundry. And each time she hated that vacant Velcro patch more and more. Her husband never opened up about what he did during his days at the facility under Cheyenne Mountain. She didn't expect him too, but sometimes she wondered what he really did. 

She held the green jacket a little closer, scowling at the dirt smears across another piece of his clothing. She narrowed her eyes. The soft nude lipstick stood out against the garish green fabric. Sara couldn’t decide if it was a brown-nude or a pink-nude; but the colour truly was irrelevant when she considered what the particular streak of lipstick indicated.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Sara breathed in deeply. When she opened her eyes, the offending streak of lipstick was still there, staring at her boldly. She couldn't decide if she was angry, hurt or just plain humiliated. She had been sure the end was coming for a while now. 

But she hadn't expected it to end like this.

What was frustrating her more was that she knew Jack wasn't this careless. He wasn't malicious, but he could be hurtful if he wanted to. She knew without a doubt that she was never meant to find this. 

Certainly not like this.

But what disturbed Sara O'Neill more than the lipstick smear itself, was purely the fact that she was completely sure she had never owned such a shade of lipstick.


	2. Mysteries of a Blonde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Captain Samantha Carter reporting, Sir.’ The salute was crisper than his ever was at the age.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I borrowed some dialogue from the original 'Children of the Gods' episode. The scenes were just too good to pass on. 
> 
> I realise that I don't cover their time on Chulak, nor the meeting of Teal'c. But as this is a S/J-centric AU, I didn't really feel the need to do so. Thank you to all who have read so far. I hope you're enjoying the reading as much as I am writing.

* * *

 

Jack groaned, and stretched as he got out of his truck. The rain had cleared from earlier in the day, the late afternoon sunshine heating the ground ever so slightly. He grabbed the soggy newspaper off the front lawn before begrudgingly making his way inside.

He was greeted by the smell of a very delicious dinner.  
  
It was rare that he was home so early; the hours disappeared in the mountain. The program had given him a new lease on life, and given him something to live for. It was his sole focus now. He found Sara standing by the stove top, her concentration on the item of greenery she was cutting up.  
  
She jumped slightly when he spoke, whirling around to face him.  
  
'Jack! You're home early,' she grinned, wiping her hands on the front of her apron and coming over to greet him.  
  
He stiffened slightly as she hugged him; the intimate contact something he wasn't used to of late.  
  
It had been tough between them.  
  
She must have felt his response, because she pulled back immediately and stared at him. 'What happened?'  
  
Jack stepped back and shrugged. 'Nothin' Sara, everything's fine.'  
  
'Okay,' she regarded him for a moment. 'If you're sure.'

' 'M just tired,' he grumbled. 'Dinner smells good.'  
  
She genuinely smiled at him. 'You're never home this early. It will be nice to eat together tonight.'  
  
He responded with a tight smile. Nice wasn't exactly how he would look at it. Tense was another word that came to mind.  
  
But, no matter how late he came home – if he came home - he would always find that Sara had cooked for two. Sara was nothing if not considerate. And for that he was grateful. She really was trying to make this easier on both of them.  
  
Jack wandered around the kitchen passively, peering into the fridge for no other reason than to give him something to do. 'How long till it’s ready?'.he asked passively,  
  
'About thirty minutes.'  
  
Jack nodded. 'I'll be in the shower,' he replied. He moved off quietly, making his way upstairs to their bathroom.

* * *

Sara handed Jack his dinner, before seating herself down opposite him at their rarely  used dining table. She was used to eating alone in front of the television. It made a nice change having him here so early.  
  
She watched him quietly from across the table, the way he moved stiffly. Obviously something had happened, but she was never allowed to know what.  He had been gone for several days with no contact. But Sara was used to it in a way; she’d been a military wife for too long.

They had hardly spoken since he had returned a day or so ago, walking in the front door like he was coming home from his normal nine-to-five job.

She had to admit she was still furious with him under the surface for the way things had been the last few months. Since a little before the start of July, when Charlie had died. And things had irreparably been damaged. And since then, this new assignment had all but consumed him.

A small part of her believed he wasn’t coming back from this trip away.

But he did, and she was honestly a little surprised.

She thought she was doing a good job at keeping the peace he seemed to have brought home with him tonight. But she wasn’t sure how much longer it would really last. The fight would come, she was sure of it.

Sara glanced up at him, watching with interest as he stared intently into what was left of his dinner. His mind was far away, and she wondered what consumed him. She accepted that it was unlikely she would ever know. Not really.

He had mentioned briefly about his new team, that they were a little different to the type he was used to dealing with. But as a team they were working significantly well. And obviously Jack thought it was worth sticking around for.

She was proud to admit to herself that she spent a lot of time hanging on to their marriage and denying the problems that had arisen since Charlie’s death. She was still completely in love with him, and she refused to let that go.

They cleared the dinner items away silently, the tension somehow seeping its way into their lives no matter how much they tried to deny it. Sara took a breath. She would try to keep things going, she owed him that much.

* * *

The days passed by fairly quickly, all things considered. Jack spent a large part of his time away from the house. It had too many reminders, too many things there that he wished to forget.

Autumn was hitting again. But this time there was no Charlie. No Charlie to laugh at the way the leaves fluttered about the sky when he jumped into the mounds of crunchy, golden leaves piled up high. The pain in Jack’s heart was crippling.

No parent should out-live their child.

But he was going to.

The mission to Abydos had been a welcome assignment. One in which he felt like he might find the escape he was looking for.

But when it came down to it, Jack couldn’t do it.

He couldn’t do that to Sara.

She’d already lost enough.

The tension in their marriage wasn’t enough for Jack to get out. He knew that. He’d try to keep it together just for her. A part of him still loved her deeply. But the other part hated that she reminded him daily of the child he had lost.

A noise in the distance caught his attention. Jack looked up to see a dark SUV approaching.

Here we go. Again.

He squinted at the two immaculately dressed Air Force officers that excited the vehicle. A rather portly looking General got out behind them. The three of them strode over to where Jack sat on his front porch.

‘Colonel O’Neill?’

Jack stared at them impassively for a moment. ‘Yes?’

‘General Hammond would like a moment with you, Sir. To discuss certain matters.’

The look given to him by the young Air Force Captain told him the ‘matter’ was classified. Of course it was.

Jack sighed and stood up, moving off the porch. He waved his hands in the direction of his garage, indicating that they could speak more securely there.

The bald man addressed him when they got inside.

‘Colonel, I’m General Hammond. I’m the new Commander of the SGC. I’m afraid we are going to have to recall you back to the SGC to go over some details of your Abydos mission.’

The man was straight to the point.

Jack narrowed his eyes. He really had no intention of going back to that place. No, he’d been away the last few days organising his retirement from the Air Force. Again. He hadn’t wanted to tell Sara just yet; in case it didn’t work out.

Obviously he was spot on with that assessment.

He had no choice; he closed his eyes. ‘When do you need me there, Sir?’

Dry, sarcastic humour wouldn’t work with this General. At least, not at the moment. Jack thought it better just to play the game, and deny anything else they accused him of. His mission report was correct.

He knew his men would stick to the story.

Now he just had to face Sara, and tell her he was leaving her alone again.

* * *

So, the truth had come out eventually. It figured that he couldn’t keep it a secret forever. But even so, it was a whole a year he had managed to keep it quiet.

And now Earth had a new enemy, one that was far beyond them technologically.

The argument that had ensued with Sara had put him in a foul mood. She’d been a military wife for long enough, she was used to him leaving. But not after Charlie. She needed him around, to be there to support her through this. But Jack couldn’t, the guilt consumed him.

Jack tapped his fingers impatiently on the briefing room table. God, could they get started already?

He stared around at the rest of the military men seated at the table. Kawalsky looked just as irritated, but hid it better than Jack was sure he was doing. He glanced up into General Hammond’s office, to see the older man talking on the phone in what looked like a very important conversation.

Jack rolled his eyes, and glanced back toward the closed blast doors that hid the Stargate from view.

The General emerged from his office, and Jack groaned to his feet, offering a crisp salute.

‘Gentleman, take your seats.’

The order from the General was strict and clear. Jack couldn’t decide if he liked this General or not. He had no sense of humour, and clearly no tolerance for Jack’s sometimes-childish ways. But there was something about his rather shiny and bald head that commanded respect.

‘Where is Captain Carter?’

Jack sat up. ‘Carter, sir?’ He was not particularly impressed about having another member on his already fragile team. The men in front of him had an understanding, they had been through so much together. And he knew, no matter what, they had his back.

Major Samuels muttered something about the man just arriving, and the General answers Jack’s question with a complete and no-nonsense tone. ‘I am assigning Sam Carter to this mission.’

Jack’s hackles instantly rise, and he straightened up. ‘I prefer to put together my own team, Sir.’

The General straightened, folding his hands in front of his chest. ‘Sorry, Carter’s our expert on the Stargate.’

Jack stifled back a groan, and tightened his grip on the pen in his hand. Expert on the Stargate? Perfect, another scientist without the title. After his experiences with Doctor Jackson, Jack has just about had enough of them to last a lifetime.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Jack swallowed roughly and forces the question out. ‘Where’s he transferring from?’

‘ _She_ is transferring from the Pentagon.’

A confident, and somewhat very feminine voice answered his blatantly sarcastic question.

Jack raised his eyebrows to a figure standing in the doorway. A figure that has a very obvious waistline, long legs and if the light glinting off her hair is anything to go by, rather thick blonde hair. 

Jack’s mouth was almost hanging on the floor as he followed the confident click of heels as the woman walked in to the room.

Talk about timing.

Jack resisted the urge to blurt out ‘And who are you?’ as the woman answered for him.

‘Captain Samantha Carter reporting, Sir.’ The salute was crisper than his ever was at the age.

She was so young, and Jack mentally berated himself for even considering her age. He certainly wouldn’t do that if she was a man. She was making some snide banter with the rest of the team, but Jack couldn’t focus on her words.

Somehow, he thought, if he let himself, he could fall hard for this woman.

There was just that little problem with her being a scientist.

‘…that’s a result of the compression your molecules undergo during the millisecond required for reconstitution.’

And just like that, Jack found himself insanely _un_ attracted to this woman.

‘Oh here we go, another scientist! General, _please.’_

He can see the Captain sit up straighter, and the intense line her mouth formed as she interjected in very clipped tones.  ‘Theoretical astrophysicist.’

His sarcastic nature is in full force today, and he couldn’t help himself. He looked squarely into blue eyes. ‘Which means?’

The Captain’s muscles in her jaw twitched, and he could see how much she was controlling her distaste. And just when he thought they are going to have to arm wrestle…fortunately the General choose the moment to intervene.

‘Which means she is smarter than you are, Colonel.’

The Captain began to rattle off some feminist speech about reproductive organs, and Jack took the seat opposite her. His mouth was working of its own accord. ‘Oh I _like_ women. I just have a little problem with scientists.’

He wasn’t even sure what that problem actually is. But he would be damned if he lets some blonde, leggy, feminist-waving Air Force Captain get under his skin. Samuels put his opinion forward, and Jack chose the moment to look away from Carter. For all his scientist hate, Major Samuels tops the cake.

Slimy, smarmy little ass-kissing…

The briefing concluded with haste. They had twenty-four hours to make contact with Earth after they’ve arrived on Abydos, and Jack began to mentally prepare himself for the horror of stepping through the blue horizon. He would never admit that he actually read the pre-mission report on what happens to your body when you step through that thing.

But he was far too proud to admit that he noticed the “Captain Sam Carter” listed at the bottom of the report, and he was even less likely to admit he would have paid more attention had he known Sam Carter looked like _that_. 

* * *

It was late into the Abydos evening, and they were all seated around the low table, laughing and cheering. The team had relaxed into the normal rhythm, and Jack couldn’t help but acknowledge that the Captain’s presence on the team had done little to change their dynamic.

He told himself that he doesn’t notice the brilliance of her smile, unencumbered by the burden of her feminist-sized chip on her shoulder. She was sitting close enough to him at the dinner that he could feel the heat radiating from her skin, and he could notice the faint and tiny scars on the backs of her slender and delicate hands.

He tried not to think about the blacked out section in her file that shows she was briefly held hostage during the Gulf War after her plane went down.

He’s had far too much of that himself.

Skaara held a wooden bowl under his nose. ‘Try it.’

Jack looked at the bowl with apprehension, the smell emanates even from this distance.

‘Moonshine?’

Kawalsky laughed. ‘Our little soldiers are all grown up Colonel!’

Taking a deep breath, Jack grabbed the bowl and took a tentative sip. The liquid instantly burnt his throat, sliding roughly down and leaving a trail of fire behind. He choked, and clear fluid flies out everywhere, landing squarely on the Captain.

‘Smooth,’ he rasped out. ‘Very smooth.’

The smile he got from the blonde next to him was well worth the spectacle.

It was a little while later when Daniel, Jack, Kawalsky and Carter were tramping through the sand toward some temple on the edge of the city. The last of the sun was dipping below the horizon as they made their way across the dunes.

Small winds picked up tiny grains of sand, blowing them around just enough to be annoying. Jack was honestly glad that he could get out of that damn pyramid for a while. Kawalsky and Daniel hadn’t stopped yapping since they left the Stargate, and were walking a few metres ahead.

Carter was lagging behind.

Jack was just about to yell for her to keep up when he heard her muttering.

‘Sand… I bloody hate sand.’

‘Problem Captain?’

The woman looked up, blue eyes meeting his own as she studied him neutrally. ‘No,’ she answered simply, putting her head down and continued walking.

Jack smothered a small smile.

To be honest, he isn’t all that fond of sand himself. And he was still not completely convinced the Captain wasn’t sulking from Daniel insisting the Stargate does go to other worlds.

They reached the temple in no time at all, and the blonde Captain hurried past him before Jack had even made it through the sandstone archway.

He seriously needed a medal for the restraint in eye-rolling he had shown in the last twenty-four hours.

Scientists.

Jack sat himself down on an outcropped bit of rick, resting his P-90 on his knee as he watched the two scientists with interest. Kawalsky sat down next to him, his own weapon poised with a finger resting above the trigger.

Daniel hasn’t changed in the year he’s been on Abydos, still as bright-eyed and enthusiastic as ever.

But the Captain is definitely something different.

She ran her fingers over the wall of the temple, each slender digit tracing the lines of symbols with earnest interest. He’s not ignorant enough to think that she wasn’t keenly aware of his gaze, but she was studiously ignoring him.

‘She’s a bit different, hey Colonel?’

Jack slid his gaze sideways to the Major.

‘Yeah?’

He opted for the neutral answer, not really sure himself how he felt about the new addition to their team.

‘Oh well, you know, she’s the first female that uh…,’ Kawalsky trailed off, scratching roughly at the base of his neck. ‘That looks like a girl, Sir.’

He finished the sentence rather stiffly, but Jack understood what he meant.

‘I hadn’t noticed Kawalsky.’

The Major scoffed, but kept himself quiet.

The nerds were on the verge of something anyway, if their raised and somewhat neurotic voices were anything to go by. 

* * *

 By the time they made it back to the base camp by the Stargate, it was clear something is terribly wrong.

The Abydonians were frantic, running around like chickens looking for their house with the fox lurking around the entrance.

Jack’s eyes instantly moved to Ferretti, bloodied and battered at the base of the ‘gate.

He was about the shout for the Captain when he saw her there at Ferretti’s side, assessing the situation swiftly before she shouted at him.

‘Ferretti needs medical attention now!’

In other words, dial the gate now Colonel. And make it bloody fast.

Jack sprang into action, dragging a distraught Daniel to the DHD and demanding he dial the symbols immediately.

All hell was breaking lose.

He’d barely had time to register that Sha’re and Skarra had been taken.

They bundled through the event horizon in a rush, limbs flying and bits of sand falling off them as they made it through to the other side.

General Hammond was as stalwart as ever, bracing himself for their onslaught at the base of the ramp.

‘What happened Colonel?’

Jack took a breath, watching with frantic eyes as half of the men were carted away on stretches.

‘We were attacked, Sir. But it wasn’t Ra.’

‘It was Apophis,’ Daniel spook up from behind, lowering his hood and freeing his face to greet the General.

The welcome he received was not exactly pleasant, and Jack resisted the urge to groan. General Hammond was certainly no General West, and his tolerance for a demanding Daniel is pretty limited.

Jack risked a glance up to the window looking into the Control Room. Major Samuels stared right back, a small but smug smile plastered on his face.

Jack can’t wait for the de-brief when he tells them that they are diving head-first into a war they know nothing about. 

* * *

It was late by the time the de-brief was completed, and Jack couldn’t remember the last time he slept. He cradled a cup of coffee in his hand as he made his way to the infirmary, pausing at the door to peer around it.

He was a little surprised to see the blonde head of a certain Captain sitting by the bedside of Ferretti.

If she heard his approach, she doesn’t move.

‘Captain.’

‘Colonel,’ she answered swiftly, standing up and saluting him crisply.

‘At ease Captain. And please, no more of this saluting thing.’

His joke had the desired effect, and he can see a bit of tension ease off her shoulders. ‘Yes, Sir.’

‘How is he?’ he asked, shoving a hand into his pocket.

‘Sleeping. I suppose that’s good,’ she shrugged. ‘Give him time to heal, right?’

Jack regarded her slowly, taking note of her in front of him.

She stood tall, only looking up a small amount to meet his eyes. Her back was ramrod straight, and her hands were folded neatly at the base of her spine. But it was her eyes that got him. They looked dull, red and weary.

If he was to guess, he’d say she was rattled.

But he was going to avoid having any personal conversations with anyone tonight.

God only knows Sara will fill that void the second he steps foot in the house.

‘Any luck with the symbols?’

She nodded. ‘Yes, Sir. We managed to get all six, and then we just add Earth as the point of origin. I believe the General has scheduled a briefing for oh-seven-hundred tomorrow.’

Jack nodded. It’s the most in-depth answer he has ever received to a simple question.

‘Speaking of Captain, it’s late,’ he spoke, pointing to his watch whilst delicately balancing the coffee.

She nodded, wishing him goodnight as he made his way back to the door. Briefly, he turned to look back inside, at the hunched blonde form resting in the chair by the bedside of his friend.

He felt a little guilty that he wasn’t staying the night with them.

But his guilt was mixed with something else; relief.

He hardly knows the Captain, but he couldn’t help feel a certain twinge of relief that it wasn’t her lying in a hospital bed. That somehow, she is going to be important to their fight in this oncoming war against a race far more advanced.

Although he was never going to admit that out aloud.

As he turned the corridor and headed for home, Jack was left with a nagging feeling that the new Captain assigned to his team was going to be far more trouble than he realised.

* * *

 


	3. Just Another Side Arm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was suddenly acutely aware of her leathers and the way his eyes stayed glued to hers.

* * *

 

The dressing room was quiet, the sounds of clothes ruffling the only thing filling the silence. The four members of the mountain’s frontline team were solemn; the death of Charles Kawalsky had hit them all hard.

Just another causality in the war against a seemingly impossible enemy. 

Carter had been unusually quiet, and Jack had barely seen her outside of the lab in the last few weeks. Although he wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t out of sheer embarrassment from her little incident on P3X-575 where she rather spectacularly drank something alien that had turned her into the most fascinating stripper Jack had ever seen.

That little bit of information stayed locked away in a part of his mind he dared not to open.

Oh, what it would be like to really know the woman in another life. In only a few short months on his team, she’d really gotten under his skin.

Daniel had redoubled his efforts to track down Sha’re and Ska’arra. Jack knew that each time they dialled a new planet, Daniel was hoping beyond a doubt that Sha’re was on the other side. 

It had become a bit of a thing among the four of them, the hope that sat between them as they explored each new planet.

‘So, P3C-697 eh?’

‘Yes, Sir,’ the Captain answered, lacing her boots with stalwart military precision. The woman was a poster girl for the Air Force.

Jack was dressed, waiting by the door with an air of impatience. ‘What are we going for this time, kids?’

Daniel piped up, pushing his glasses back up his nose with a smile. ‘I’m actually hoping for a medieval society.’

The excitement in his voice was unmistakable. Stepping through the Stargate was more exciting to Daniel than Christmas morning. Jack guessed it was the only thing to keep him from wallowing in grief. He’d been there and it wasn’t pretty.

‘I will be happy to find the planet free of Jaffa, Daniel Jackson.’ The deep rumbling voice of Teal’c came from the corner.

‘I’m going to go with…’ Jack paused, shifting his weight against the door frame whilst considering the options. ‘Monkeys.’

Carter looked up. ‘Monkey’s, Sir?’

‘You never know Captain. There’s bound to be an evil witch out there somewhere in the universe with a gang of evil monkeys.’

She smiled as she finished hooking her pants into the top of her combat boots. ‘Wizard of Oz, Colonel?’

Jack shoved his cap down onto his head. ‘You betcha.’

Daniel stood up, and pushed his way past Carter to exit out the door toward the armoury.

Teal’c led the way to the gateroom, his staff weapon poised beside him. It had become an unspoken trait of the team that Teal’c was usually the first to step through the ‘gate.

After arming themselves with their MP-5’s, Jack and Carter followed the rest of the team to the gateroom, Daniel ahead of them with his Beretta safely latched in its holster.

The ‘gate dialled itself with its usual efficiency, the little man named Walter announcing each chevron lock in a crisp count. Jack pulled the peak cap down over his head. He’d be damned if he was going to wear a helmet every time he stepped through the ‘gate. SG-1 could at least have a little bit of galactic fashion sense.

‘Here we go kids!’ Jack announced as he took a step up the ramp. Carter followed behind, Daniel busily blowing his nose before he made a move toward the ‘gate. Jack groaned, he only wished there was going to be death-eating monkeys on the other side.

* * *

 

So it hadn’t been monkeys that caused their whole mission to quite literally go to the dogs. They’d very nearly ended up a dog’s breakfast within the first few moments of stepping foot on the alien planet.

Still, no one had gone through quite as much as Carter on this mission. She was unusually quiet tonight, sitting alone on the edge of the clearing as they waited with Mogaul and Abu for the sun to rise. Jack was quietly grateful that it hadn’t ended with a more serious note.

Still, he’d have to explain to Hammond how he lost another weapon on the second mission in as many weeks.

With a groan, he heaved himself up off the log he was perched on, and made his way over to Carter.

‘Made you a tea,’ he offered gruffly.

She looked up dully, blue eyes reflecting the yellow glow of the firelight as her gaze settled on the tin mug in his outstretched hand.

‘Thanks,’ she murmured, the corner of her mouth tilting up slightly. She shifted her weight slightly, making room for him on the small log.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. He studied her with interested, followed the movement of her eyes as they gazed over the rises of steam coming from the cup. Knowing her, she was probably trying to solve the world’s problems in the small twists of molecules that meant nothing more to him other than a relaxing Sunday afternoon with a good record of Opera.

He had the sudden urge to ask her what she was thinking, but figured that it was going to cross a boundary with his second-in-command that he was almost certain he needed to maintain.

Thankfully she filled the silence.

‘So, I guess I owe you a new side arm?’

He couldn’t help but smile.

‘Ah, don’t worry about it Captain. It was the least I could trade for you.’

She smirked into her tea. ‘Oh, I am so glad that you thought I was worth trading for.’

‘Anytime, Carter.’

He wanted to add that maybe now she’d stop prancing around with that feminist chip on her shoulder. That the galaxy was no place for a woman to be exerting her supposed authority, no matter how things were on Earth. It was fast becoming clear that the races they were going to meet were not always so accepting of women and their status.

But for the sake of the comfortable silence they had, he kept his mouth shut.

Sort of.

‘Besides, I don’t want to explain to your boyfriend that I lost you off-world to a bunch of primitive Mongolians who were happy to trade you for a few weights of gold,’ he reasoned, digging a toe of his combat boot into the soft earth.

She cleared her throat rather loudly, the firelight failing to hide the rose colour now creeping up her cheeks. ‘I don’t have a boyfriend, sir,’ she choked out rather stiffly.

Jack had to admit he wasn’t all that surprised that she was single. He wasn’t ever going to tell her that he had delved into her files at one stage, finding it rather interesting that she had been engaged to one Jonas Hanson. He was probably more interested than he should be to learn the reasons why it had ended.

It certainly explained why she had quoted the black ops motto at him earlier.

He’d caught them a few times in corridors a the SGC having rather heated discussions at times and he had to admit he was rather curious. Naturally, Carter had hurried out of there as fast as possible, leaving him to give Hanson a few menacing glares.

That was definitely not helping the rumour mill currently running around the base.

‘Oh, well, that will save me on some paperwork,’ he joked.

She smiled stiffly at him, raising her eyes to reach his.

He was suddenly intrigued by the way her teeth nibbled on the corner of her lower lip, tongue occasionally darting out to run over the remnants of her tea.

Her eyes clouded over, the usual bright blue slightly hazy in the dim light. She leaned forward.

Jack instinctively pulled back, his heart pounding against his ribs.

She smirked into tea and sat up straighter.

Clearly she was as confident in teasing him as she was in working out the complex calculations for planetary shift. He wasn’t sure he was entirely comfortable with that knowledge.

He cleared his throat. ‘Well Carter, I’m glad that I’m not scraping Turghan off the floor of his tent. Even if it did cost me my Beretta.’ He stood up, shoving his hands into his pants. ‘Try to get some sleep Captain.’

He didn’t wait for a reply before making his way back to the rest of the team.

* * *

 

Sam sighed and put her head in her hands. The last few weeks had been pretty tough on the whole team. In the aftermath of the whole kidnapping ordeal by a pubescent Mongolian, she had then gone and thrown herself head-first at a certain Colonel whilst intoxicated on an alien virus.

 _That_ was probably fast-becoming one of the most embarrassing moments of her life.

She was quietly grateful that everyone had seemed to turn a blind eye. They weren’t the only two officers to become compromised, and Daniel was still being poked with needles after his little dalliance with an alien female.

The Colonel was right; Daniel was becoming the one to watch on missions.

Still, she didn’t appreciate the discussion with Janet about her sex life and the now-necessary contraceptives that all females of the SGC now had to have.

Maybe she should suggest that all males carry condoms in their packs.

The lights of her lab blinked in the background, strangely in rhythm with the pounding in her head. The mug of tea sat long-cold on her desk, the screensaver of her laptop long died out. It was getting late.

With another sigh, she got up and made her way out of her lab, switching off the lights and heading down the corridor. The sound of her combat boots hitting the concrete ricocheted off the walls.

The locker-rooms were devoid of life as she changed into her leathers, leaving behind the fatigue green BDU’s she was more accustomed to wearing these days. She didn’t bother to muffle the door slam as she left the locker room.

She reached with elevator and pushed the call button with an air of impatience. Her eyes were suddenly heavy, and the urge to get home was almost impossibly urgent. There was a need to escape the underground that had become her hideout.

The elevator was unsurprisingly empty at the late hour. She figured almost everyone had gone home to their families. Her family consisted of an estranged brother, deceased mother and a somewhat aloof father.

In truth, she was closer to her laptop and the pizza delivery guy.

Although it had been that way for most of her adult life, Sam still found herself avoiding the empty expanse of her tiny apartment. A house was simply not needed. She wasn’t entirely sure the program would see the end of the year, particularly when they considered that SG-1 alone had faced incarceration by their enemy, a female team member being kidnapped and then the lovely introduction of a rabid alien virus that turned everybody into hormonal Neanderthals.

God only knows what they’d find next.

The trip to the surface took little time, and Sam barely noticed signing out for the night before she made her way across the almost-vacant carpark.

There was still a slight chill in the air; the spring warmth not quite coming through yet. It was refreshing though, to breathe deeply in fresh, non-circulated air. Her bike beckoned at the far end of the lot, the dim light from the base entrance lightly reflecting off the highly polished surface.

She marched with her usual efficiency, jumping slightly when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Instinctively, her hand moved her weapon, gripping the rough fabric of her leathers instead.

‘Evenin’ Carter.’

The tall form of her CO stood up, stepping out of the shadow from where he had been leaning against a large pick-up truck. In the dim light, Sam couldn’t tell if it was dark green or black.

‘Colonel,’ she spoke, her voice failing to convey her surprise at finding him there in the dark with the clock fast approaching midnight.

She briefly wondered if he had a home to go to, or if he was avoiding the emptiness like she was.

His hand flicked the ash from a cigarette as he stared at her.

‘You smoke, sir?’

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Tryin’ to quit.’

‘Ah.’

Her path to the bike was stalled, now hidden behind the form of her CO. She’d never really noticed that he was _tall_ and somewhat intimidating in the dark shadows of the early spring nights. The smoke settled around him in a cloud, dancing off the sleeve of his leather jacket.

He reminded her of a late 1940’s greaser.

‘I didn’t know that was yours,’ he said, flicking his head over his shoulder in the general direction of her bike.

She followed his gaze. ‘Yes sir.’

She was suddenly acutely aware of her leathers and the way his eyes stayed glued to hers.

Clearing her throat, she has a sudden need to fill with silence with _anything._ ‘She still needs some fixing up though.’

He draws on his cigarette, nodding in a way that shows he isn’t really listening.

It’s almost as if he is looking right through her.

‘Hammond wants us to check in on SG-9 if they haven’t reported in by tomorrow.’

The change of subject startles her. ‘Oh, right. Okay.’

She neglects the ‘sir’, her thoughts suddenly flittering through in sync with the heavy feeling in her gut.

‘See you tomorrow, Carter.’

He slinks back into the shadows near his truck, and his abrupt dismissal does nothing to squash the questions rising in her mind about why he is hiding in the SGC carpark in the middle of the night.

She tries not to dwell on it as she rides home.

* * *

 

 


End file.
